


A Sweet Red Thing

by AndyAstral



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alpha James, Alpha clover, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cottagecore, Fisherman Clover Ebi, M/M, Multi, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Qrow, Witch Qrow, carpenter James Ironwood, sort of graphic discriptions of injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyAstral/pseuds/AndyAstral
Summary: Clover just wants a peaceful life for himself and James, as they have fled from a war. They live in the middle of the woods, the nearest town miles away, and the solitude is working wonders for the ex soldiers.In comes a half drowned man Clover fishes from the river.
Relationships: Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi/James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StoryWeaverKirea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoryWeaverKirea/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Chloe!
> 
> Anyway, James and Clover live in the woods to get away from was and have a peaceful life then a witch comes into their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mainly ironluck because Qrow is unconscious lmao 
> 
> And it's been split into three because I uhhhhhh.
> 
> Yeah nah I have no excuses <3 love you Chloe!

Clover sat quietly at the dock, breathing in the fresh air, idly laying back, feet kicking off the end. The chill was getting more apparent as the days dragged on, both being so slow and so fast.

It would be their first winter in Mistral, away from the war that tore through Solitas. Clover had heard from the scraps of news that there were no kings to sit on the throne, the Mantle king had been killed, and the Atlas king had disappeared completely- Clover could only assume he too was dead. It would be assumed that he and James would be assumed dead.

The anxiety of being found out for deserting had kept James up for months, until he finally began to calm down. No one was looking for them, Clover would say. James was free from the war, he had no one to answer to.

No one but Clover, that is. They had bonded not soon after running from battle. Clover didn’t regret dragging James away from the country that was content to bloody itself, the country that had taken James and left him a shell of a man. They had found happiness living in the woods away from most people, a village sitting a good distance away from them. The lake Clover sat at was only a few minutes walk from the house. The solitude was good for James, and as things moved on, they found new things to do.

James was now the main provider of firewood for the village, building extensions on houses, stables- he had quickly gotten into carpentry. Clover on the other hand, had gotten back into fishing. Trading with the village was keeping them funded and afloat, the area surrounding their home in the forest too turbulent to grow crops for themselves however forging for wild blueberries. With winter coming the lake would freeze over, so he was trying to think of something he could do to earn money in the colder months.

A few more months, after the winter it would be spring, and it would soon be their anniversary of freedom. Clover didn’t know what he wanted to do. He wanted to celebrate getting together, being happy and carefree, but he still felt tension in his beloved’s shoulders when they embraced, the frown he wore when he didn’t think Clover wasn’t watching.

Sometimes Clover wondered if James regretted running.

Clover felt a tug on his line, he flicked his wrist, seeing it it had caught before he sat up and yanked. It did not feel like a fish, he must have grabbed a rotted log, he yanked again- not feeling much of a budge. He sighed in frustration. He was going to have to cut the line or risk snapping it trying to pull it free. He pulled scissors from his fishing kit, and leaned forward so he could cut the line.

If he hadn't been concentrating on cutting the line, he would not have felt the weak pull back. He tugged again, the line straining, but it wasn’t on a log and he began to reel in whatever it was. It was leading across the lake line, so he quickly moved off the dock to try and pull it to shore.

Clover did not expect a man to all but leap out of the water, freezing water spraying everywhere, gasping desperately for breath, eyes rolling back before going limp. Once his ghost had returned to his body and Clover began to recover from his shock he scrambled to help the man. He rolled the man over as he coughed hard, not unconscious at all, water expelling from his lungs and wheezing, shivering from the cold.

"I got you buddy." Clover said, glad the man was conscious. Wet, black hair clung to his forehead, It was then Clover noticed the shackles on the stranger’s ankles, he wasn’t sure if it was just his eyes in the mid afternoon sun, but Clover swore that they were glowing.

He looked for the lock, and found that it had been welded, the keyhole had melted brass inside it. There were burns on his ankles, looking like they had been rubbed raw.

But this man looked like his clothes had been stripped away, only trousers and a loose, ragged white shirt, a few buttons looked missing, from who ever had attacked him and thrown him into the river or the rough rapids themselves, he could see the tell tale signs of someone that had been at the mercy of the water, bruises blotching all over his body.

He needed James’s help to get the shackles off, he needed to get this man out of the cold and somewhere warm and safe. Someone had tried to kill this man by throwing him in the river, that was as apparent as the paleness of his skin, the light red of his eyes as he checked consciousness once more as they were rolled up, pupils blow so wide he could have mistaken them for black.

He picked the man up, not sensing any dynamic- that hardly mattered as he began to dash back for the home he shared with his mate. The man weighed as light as a feather, the shackles the only heavy thing about him.

James was thankfully home and back from the workshop nestled deeper into the woods. His mate was coming home earlier and earlier as the winter crept on them as the daylight began to shorten. The heavy scent of tree sap and forest clung to the air.

“Clover-?” He said, startled, as Clover had kicked the door in with his hands full of barely conscious man, he had to side step into the house, nearly smacking the strangers head into the doorway as he did so when he tried to make sure his legs didn’t get snagged.

“Fished a man out of the river, he needs help.” He explained shortly. James was on his feet, already moving his chair away from the fireplace and to find their spare blankets and towels. Clover crouched down next to the fire that James must have just built in the hearth to dry the man off and warm him up.

“Who is this-” James said, crouching down with a blanket, his eyes fell to the shackles. The man mumbled something, something that sounded like ‘oh’, despite his eyes rolled back and limbs limp.

“I think someone tried to kill him, Can your axe break the chains?" He asked, James didn’t move, still staring at the man as Clover pushed the blanket under the man.

“Clover- this man might be a criminal, this is a common execution method for those that have killed children in Mistral.”

Clover didn’t know what to make of that information, looking back down at the man as the fire roared and began to slowly dry him off, his hair was drying first, his hair was more grey then he first thought. Bruises continued to bloom across his skin. He was thin but not unhealthy.

He’s met child murderers, murders, the worse kinds of people in the war, and this man didn’t… give any of that vibe off. Then again, he was unconscious. If he woke up and tried to tear out their throats James could then say ‘I told you so’.

“So I should have left him by the river?” He asked, feeling his heart beat hard. “Let him wake up and explain what happened before we make any conclusions.”

A part of him prayed that this man wasn’t a criminal, but a victim of some kind so he didn’t have to make the choice to either nurse a murderer back to health or turn him to the elements half dead. It went against his instincts as a healer. He had been accused of being too soft to be an alpha, taking on a medic role in the field because he didn't have what it took for combat.

“If someone were to survive their execution without external forces, then he would be a free man anyway, and this man had managed to get to shore.” Clover didn't know much of the religion in the area, but knew when it came to executions that if one to survive it was due to god feeling them worthy of another chance.

“The point, Clover, is that this man could be a murderer! We don’t know what he has done.” James said. “People don’t just decide to throw a man in a river unless he’s done something awful.”

“And if he hasn’t done anything wrong? A chance is all he needs.” Clover said.

A moment between them as they stared at each other, Clover had been soaked from carrying the man, and felt the fire dry him, James had the same, frowning expression of a man with a thousand things on his mind.

They were both alphas, their relationship was unorthodox, hell, in some countries their union would have been met with violence. They managed to avoid the worse of their dynamic’s acting up by never challenging each other, coming to agreements when they disagreed- but their disagreements since they had gotten together was ‘what should we have for dinner’ ‘the carpet colour’ and ‘should we add another room to the house?’ and not ‘should we leave a man to die?’

“Fine. I’ll grab my tools.” James sighed, getting up. “I’m not breaking them with my axe, it will be hell to sharpen again.”

\----

It was getting dark as James tread the path to his workshop, when the house had become to cramped he built it a few minutes from the house, far enough that one couldn’t hear him working away, as he liked to get up earlier to work and did not wish to disturb his mate with hammering and sawing. It’s where he kept most of his tools, his axe however, never left his side unless he was in the house.

He was quick in grabbing a few things, His saw would not be of use, as it was a wood saw and it would only blunt on the iron of the shackles. James returned with haste with his tool kit. He didn’t want to leave his mate with the stranger. He didn’t seem to be a threat, but James would not make the mistake of underestimating him, or letting him hurt Clover.

Clover was someone that cared about everyone to a near detriment to himself, he would probably find a wolf in a trap and try to nurse it to health all the while it tried to bite his hands off. The analogy was actually quite fitting for their first meeting.

He came back to the house. Clover had properly laid the man down, trying to wrap the wounds under the shackles. They were loose enough for him to work in some burn ointment, but not do much else. James felt a well of pity for the man, who looked to have passed out completely. 

“Okay, someone really didn’t want him to get out of these.” He said, Someone had melted brass into the locks. On way to get it out was to reheat the shackles, but that would definitely injure the man further.

“Why would someone weld them shut?” Clover asked.

“Lock picker maybe?” he prompted.

“James-”

“It’s a possibility!” he said. “It just seems like overkill- are you sure his injuries are from the river? They look like they could be fists.” He said.

“I’ve never seen fists that big.” Clover said, shaking his head. James frowned, but nodded. “Most likely that he got knocked around.”

“I’m surprised this man didn’t drown- the village is nearly 8 miles away, and the river bends a lot.”

It really was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to survive at all. He didn't look to weight much, there was no way the man would have had the strength to have been able to lift himself and keep afloat.

“That’s if it was the village that did so, and we know those people.” Clover said, Jame didnt wanr to correct him that yes, they did know them, they traded with them, the local alphas not caring about them being close to their territory or feeling threatened they were outsiders.

“But we don’t know this man, and we haven’t been there for nearly a week.” he said, James had made a surplus in firewood to be sold at the shop, so there had been no need, and they didn't need to shop for another few days “I should go, I want to speak to the mayor and see if there have been anyone that came their way recently.”

“And we’re going to hand him over if we find out he’s a bad guy?”

“... we don't know what he's done."

“James!” Clover said, not be living the answer that wasn't an answer. “Listen, I’ll go to the village, and i’ll talk to people, okay?" James looked to nearly protest before Clover cut him off. "You don’t want me to be alone with this guy, do you?”

“God's, I hate you sometimes.” he sighed, crossing his arms. “You go then.”

“I need to buy fresh bandages, and pain killers, when this guy wakes up, he’s going to need them.” he looked to the shackles once more.

James was a cautious man, and would go out at night unless he had too, but he was torn with the decision. “I’ll take Dutch with me and be back as soon as I can.” Clover reasoned. He stood on his toes to give his mate a kiss. “Please look after him while I’m gone?”

James softened. “Of course, darling." Still, James could never find it in himself to ever say no to his love. Clover was his entire world, and would give him anything if he asked for it, and he rarely asked for anything.

Clover packed the white horse, and had mounted it by the time James came out with what Clover forgot. He held it up, already lit.

“Hey, take a lantern, you'll need it on the way home once it gets dark-" James said, Clover smiled

“-And never get off Dutch to stray the path, I know. Don't worry.” He leans down for another kiss. “I’ll be back in two hours, hopefully, any longer and you can come look for me.”

“I’ll keep you to that.” James said. James had gotten the silver horseshoes to keep malovent spirits and entities away, and up until now they have worked. It was a short trip, far shorter than when James carted wood to the village stockpile when he had to take the cart.

He trusted Clover's judgement, he did, but Clover was sometimes to trusting. Not naive, but wanting to see the best in people. He saw the best in James, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, pretending like I didn't take the beginning of what the river bought and changed it to abo fantasy


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, pretending this isn't late af:
> 
> <3 You chloe

Two hours passed. James was already worrying at one hour and fifty nine minute mark. Of course, Dutch would need a few breaks, and while not skittish in the night he could not help the idea that the white horse had run off the path, and that Clover had been bucked.

He managed to get the shackles off the stranger's legs, drilling into the locks into the soft gold alloy- brass, he was sure now it wasn't pure gold. He had a hunch that whoever did it had only made sure to seal the lock, not let it drip more than needed, meaning the mechanism could be cleaned out, his file and scribe were able to be used to pop the lock open.

He tried to ignore the bits of flesh that remained on the iron as ankles bled anew. Clover had not managed to wrap them completely- and not even a stir from the unconscious man. James could see a burn in the shape of drops, like the brass had been splashed onto his skin. He imagined how agonizing it must have been, how terrified this man. As gently as possible he applied ointment to the affected area.

While cooking dinner he had forgotten to continue checking in on the man he had moved into the spare room. He was only going to peek in to see if the man had stirred, even a little. 

Near the two hour mark, James opened the door into the room, and immediately was hit with sweetness, like nectar, honey and caramel, strawberry jam and-

He immediately covered his nose, slamming the door shut and bolted for the kitchen.

Weak _protect_ weak WEAK take _take_

He gathered up a rag and he covered his face with the lavender, inhaling deep so he could think clearly. When his instincts had stopped screaming, now a whisper in his mind he dug into the cupboard and pulled out the old tea box where they kept their suppressants.

Clover had found an omega- the water must have covered his scent- but the more likely option was a panic heat punching through the omega's own suppresents. He didn’t know much about omegas, rare, and not a commodity for a common soldier, he heard that panic heats were common after a life threatening situation to boost the chances of an alpha finding them and caring for them. 

Which was exactly what happened, ironically enough, even if neither James nor Clover had been able to tell. Then again, he heard a lot of things about omegas that were probably not true. Still, once Clover was home he would have to take the same suppressant so he too would be unaffected by the omega’s scent. 

Where was Clover? He should be due at any minute.

He heard a crash from the guest room of glass breaking. James rushed back, opened the door to see that the raven-haired man was gone- but blood stained the broken glass of the window, and feathers looked to have been torn from a bird floated to the ground. He barely had time to think about it as he dashed to the window. It didn’t open, they had nailed it shut for the winter months that were coming up.

Looking outside, he could see the man in the dim moonlight, doubled over. He could see blood seep into what remained of his shirt as the man pulled his hand away from his shoulder.

A hand that looked like they were black claws.

James ran out of the house, in the time it took for him to do so, the man had disappeared and a trail of feathers and scarlet drops lead to the forest. James frowned hard, looking around once more, before hearing what sounded like a strangled cry of pain, and then nothing.

He quickly followed the scent, his eyes adjusting to the night. The fear of the forest pressed down.

The man’s arms were black as feathers shrunk and retracted to nothingness, deep red eyes dulled. Large cuts from his collar to his shoulders 

The man cried out again, and James had to look away as his body warped into a shape unnatural for a man. The man twisted, falling to his side, and only then did piercing red eyes stare at him so intently.

“Stay away-!" He snapped. "I’ll curse you! Don’t touch me!”

Curse, something he knew folks in the area were terrified of.

“You’re bleeding." James tried to reason. “You won’t get far-" 

"Fuck off, alpha!" He snarled. James inwardly winced, because that was the absolute worse thing someone could say to an alpha, challenging them in any capacity would set off the hindbrain.

James on the other hand was an alpha that had trained extensively for the past year to control himself to not take a challenge.

"You need help, I let you leave and you're going to bleed to death or freeze before daybreak." He said. “My mate will not be happy if I let you leave like you are.”

“Your mate?” He asked, squinting, James knew the omega was trying to figure out if he smelt another person in the cottage.

“He fished you out of the river.” James explained, realizing the man really would have no idea where he was or how he even survived. “I’m not sure you remember that- we mean you no harm, we just want to help-”

The omega's eyes rolled back as he slumped, and James only hoped that it wasn't from blood loss as he rushed forward to scoop the unconscious man up.

His skin was flushed pink and warm to touch, a contrast in the cool fall air. Putting him near the fire would have been counter productive, what little he knew about heats was that omega's needed to be cooled down. The kitchen table would have to do. The man had looked pale before, but he was looking outright ghostly now.

Blood was getting everywhere, the tang of metal in the air, pulling him back to times he wished desperately to keep in the past.

He missed the frantic footsteps of his mate returning to the house, the door left wide open and no doubt Clover could smell the blood.

“James, what did you do?” the accusation hard in his voice, but sounding more horrified.

He never wanted to spill blood again, not to add to the river's worth he had already wrought.

“I did nothing, Clover! He did this to himself!” He snapped, and scolded himself mentally, but Clover paused, his words catching up with him.

“Thank fuck I bought more bandages,” he said, taking a step into the home, and being immediately hit with the scent, throwing his entire arm across his face. “Woah-”

“Tea’s already brewed on the stove, strong dosage,” James said, Clover nodded, practically throwing the parcel of new bandages at James as he dashed from the kitchen with the pot.

The bleeding has slowed, the split skin from his wounds would need stitches, and Clover was the one with steady hands and experience in actually closing wounds. All he could do was clean the wounds to make sure that they didn’t get worse, the blood soaking into the sheets. James began to turn him over to his stomach.

A hand, lashed out with a speed he didn’t think possible from the wounded man. James however, was just as fast, grabbing the wrist, seeing that it was darker then a moonless night, shinning black nailed posed to strike.

This man wasn’t completely human, and he now had a better idea on why he had been tossed into the river with shackled legs.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He said, voice low and rumbling. The omega shivered, and tried to pull away from James. He bit his tongue, he hadn’t intended to use his dynamic, he struggled to force the instincts back down. “I only want to clean the wounds, stop the bleeding.”

James could feel the omega’s heart beat through his skin on his pulse joint and his hand began to go grey- James was reminded of a corpse for a startling moment, but the same skin went so white that he might as well have been drained of blood.

He worked quickly, stripping the ruined shirt from the strangers back, warm water and a clean cloth cleaning the blood away. He winced, seeing scars that had looked deep once upon a time.

He felt his own scars twinge in sympathy.

“James, I think I’m safe to come in now.” he heard clovers voice from the doorway.

“He needs stitches.”

“Can do.” Clover said, walking into the room, he had tied a cloth around his face like a mask, and James could smell lavender, assuming Clover had pulled it from the garden

The omega stirred once more, whinning out in pain, getting louder when he woke up completely, eyes snapping open. Clover eat at his side in an instant, and James took a large step away from the table.

The omega sniffed, squinting his eyes to look at Clover properly. James's gut sank, already knowing what was about to happen.

"You're both alphas." The omega said, eyes darting between the two- and James could recognize the look of a man that felt trapped like a rabbit, and saw his eyes dart to the door, he was prone on the table, pushing himself up.

"Yeah. Is there an issue?" Qrow rolled his lips, and glanced to James.

"I was told your mate saved me."

"He didn't lie to you, that was me." Clover said, "I had no idea you were an omega, these painkillers are not going to work on you."

"You're right, my system will burn out the effects." He winced.

"We cannot wait, you'll bleed out soon enough, lay down and I'll deal with the wound." Clover said, pushing on the omega's shoulder to get him to lay back down. The omega screamed out, gripping the table edge. Why was Clover handling him so harshly? James found himself putting his hand up to push Clover back, but went ridgid. 

"Oh shit." Clover swore. The omega was setting both their hindbrains off, to protect, and to fight any alpha that were to cause harm to him- even as a mated pair, their instincts were too ingrained.

“You got any alcohol?” the man winced out, none the wiser to the silent struggle the alphas were currently having.

“Alcohol will thin your blood, it will do more harm than good.” Clover said. Besides, the bottle of wine they had would not at all get him drunk fast enough, neither himself or Clover drank.

"Willow bark? Rosemary? Feverfew?" He asked desperately. 

"We have lavender?" Clover said, "I'm sorry, we really do not have anything to help."

"You know what? I can handle this, thanks for the help, but I can-"

“That’s not happening. James, hold him down.”

His eyes went wide, and wasn't fast enough to react to the ex soldier. “NO!”

James hated himself, but did what the shorter alpha said, pressing a hand on the middle of the omega’s shoulder blades, only putting down enough pressure to keep him down. The omega kicked back as Clover climbed on top of him, and pinned his legs down.

The omega was panicking from being pinned, hell, James would react the same in his situation. Alpha's almost never took healing roles, only assigned as soldiers, enforcers, never soft, caring roles.

Anyone that thought a field medic was soft had never seen one have to knit someone back together.

“I can’t- he’s thrashing too much!” Clover said, growling in frustration, a whimper from the omega under him him made him freeze, he too, had just used his dynamic without meaning to. "Please, do not struggle you will tear-"

And James got an idea.

“It’s okay.” He soothed, lessening the pressure even more on the omega’s back, crouching down so he could face the omega, he winced, seeing those wine red eyes bloodshot and weeping furiously. He didn't need his alpha senses to know how terrified this man was. “We only want to help.” He pulled his glove off his flesh hand, cupping the man’s cheek- he felt like he was blatantly cheating on his mate, and looked up to meet Clover’s eyes- thankfully, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing as he began to thread the needle, no longer in danger of being bucked off.

Tension eased out of the omega’s shoulders as he closed his eyes, body relaxing.

“I know it hurts, I know.” He said. “What’s your name?" It occurred to him that he had never asked, nor given his own. His bearer would be so disappointed in his manners.

“Qrow.”

“Qrow?” James repeated, a little perplexed, but he could dwell on the name later. “Qrow, it hurts I know, but we need to stitch your wounds.”

“Hurts.” he cawed out, squeezing his eyes shut as Clover began to work on his shoulder. James would have to get more boiled water for him soon enough.

“I’m James, Clover is an amazing healer, I’ve seen him put together people our commanders thought would surely die, he’s a miracle worker.”

“You’re doing well, Qrow.” Clover said, and James could feel the younger Alpha use his dynamic. The dynamic didn’t effect the elder, it rarely did as Clover rarely challenged him- and he never challenged Clover- but for an omega in heat, in agony, he would be listening to them both on instinct. "I'll be done soon, you only need 7 stitches.”

He counted them, making sure that Qrow knew that the pain would be ending in six stitches, then five, then four- James took to the task of washing off the rest of the blood he could get too.

"Last one." Clover said, beginning the final stitch. Qrow flinched as he did the first six. He had to stay awake, so Clover knew he wasn't dying.

When they bandaged him with clean linen and carried him to the guest room once more, after Clover deemed the stranger stable enough to move, the two alphas breathed a sigh of relief, and looked on to their bloodied kitchen. 

The Surpressents stopped their hindbrains from clouding their thinking brains, so they could work- if Clover had not downed the pot of tea he would not have been able to stay steady and keep his mind sharp- and stop themselves from getting hostile towards each other. In theory. James only felt exhausted, only wanting to crawl into bed and hold his mate tight.

“I need… a bath.” Clover said, half an hour later when they had finally scrubbed the last of the blood away.

James tried to laugh, but it only felt like a hiccup in his throat. He wanted to air the place out, but the cold was too much. They would have to wait for morning. 

"No. Fuck. It just. Reminded me of Mantle. Had to hold a lot of people down when they panicked." Clover said. James nodded. The shorter Alpha blinked, not meaning to have mentioned the civil war. "We gotta wash the blood off." Clover prompted.

"A hot bath sounds nice."

"You promised to have the spa room done by winter." Clover scolded lightly.

"And I will, I just have a long list of commissions." He said. "Miss Maria wants a new rocking chair, and a lot of toys for the winter festival-"

"Okay, okay." Clover smiled, even weakly.

James closed his wyes, resting his head on his mates forehead. "I'll have it done by winter, promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY UPDATED 
> 
> I'm SLOWLY working through things now, birds should not be caged SHOULD be next.


End file.
